The present invention concerns a foldable protective element for lines or conduits, which element together with other protective elements can form a protective guide means for cables, hoses and other energy guide lines or conduits. Preferably so-called energy guide chains or energy guide hoses are used to afford protection from mechanical effects and to ensure quite specific paths of movement for energy guide lines or conduits which in particular are not to be excessively curved or indeed bent.
An example of such an energy guide chain is described in EP 0 415 050 B1, the preamble to which also includes further references to the state of the art. DD 265 449 A1 also discloses a so-called cable and hose laying or drag arrangement which performs the same function but which is not composed of individual chain links but is extruded as a closed whole and then processed and in particular slit.
A system which is produced in a similar manner is also described in EP 0 544 027 A1.
It is also known from U.S. Pat. No. 3,473,769 to extrude a flat article which can be shaped to constitute a protective system for lines and conduits by stamping out individual parts and folding together lateral web portions.
Finally EP 0 424 404 B1 discloses an energy guide carrier arrangement which is in the form of a structural unit with lines and connecting adaptors at the ends.
In regard to the known protective systems for lines and conduits, it is possible to discern two ways in which different requirements can be satisfied. One way involves producing chain links which are composed of two or preferably even more parts and which then jointly with other chain links form an energy guide chain which is of a more or less complicated structure, depending on the respective situation of use involved. The other way involves producing integral energy guide systems by a procedure whereby elongate structural parts are extruded and thereafter energy guide systems are produced in a plurality of processing steps by stamping, cutting, bending and the like. In that respect extruded energy guide systems suffer in principle from the disadvantage that variations in cross-section in the extrusion direction are not possible (apart from complete subsequent removal of material) so that it is not possible in that way to produce many desirable mechanical details, in particular connections which are strong and stable in the extrusion direction.
Taking the specified state of the art as its basic starting point, the present invention is based on the problem of providing a foldable protective element for lines, which is inexpensive to produce but which can be substantially freely fashioned in all dimensions. In particular the invention seeks to provide that the protective element can also be formed as part of an integral series of protective elements which in its final form performs the function of the energy guide chains described in accordance with the state of the art.
Another problem of the invention is to provide a process for the production of an integral series comprising a plurality of protective elements while enjoying substantial freedom in terms of the configuration involved and inexpensive manufacture.